


The Dragonking

by liquid_dreams



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, F/M, Human/Dragon Hybrids, Neltharion Won, Slow To Update, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 09:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10682175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liquid_dreams/pseuds/liquid_dreams
Summary: It is the year zero. Guldan failed and the Dark Portal never opened.Something went wrong in the ancient past and Deathwing succeeded in subjugating the other dragonflights with the Dragonsoul. With the red, green and blue flights at his mercy and the bronze flight lost in time, there is no force on Azeroth that could stop the mighty Aspect of Death. However instead of destroying the world Deathwing somehow regained some of his free will and chose to rule it instead.Azeroth has become a dark place. The human race -originally meant to become the noblest protectors of the Alliance- is a broken people ruled by a line of tyrannical kings rumored to possess terrible powers.The Aspect of Death has seemingly disappeared after his final victory, but one can never be sure where dragons are concerned.Few things are as they were meant to be, but there can be no darkness without light, no night without a day. Even with the spectre of death looming above, there is yet a simple but beautiful thing called... hope.





	The Dragonking

"Glory to the Alliance! Down with the tyrant!" A man with black hair and soot-stained clothes raised his mining pick towards the sky following his war cry.

It was echoed by five hundred voices, male and female alike. From one moment to the next Stormwind's Cathedral District erupted into chaos. Men and women in dirty rags armed only with mining picks and hammers streamed onto the open square from every shadowy nook and corner. They crawled out from behind dumpsters and crates, they slid out of gutters, they jumped from bushes. It would have been a comical sight had they all not looked so deadly serious. They had lain in wait until the King and his nobles entered the Cathedral for Sunday Mass to start their revolt. Twenty years of miserable slavery and backbreaking work in the mines had left their marks. The mob was out for blood and there was no stopping them. Roars of hate and frustration rang through the carefully manicured gardens and cobblestone streets, echoed off white walls and shining ochre shingles. The guards desperately tried to hold them back from the Cathedral, but there were far too few of them. Nobody expected much trouble on a warm sunday afternoon. They got pushed back to the main stairs. Bells started ringing overhead, signalling the third hour of the afternoon. As one the mob advanced on the doors shouting and brandishing their tools with murderous intent. 

"Bring me the King's head," the black haired man roared, deep voice ringing over the clamor of the miners. "We want justice!"

"Justice!"

"Down with the Slaver King!"

A droning hum grew louder and louder as three mighty airships approached from the East. The miners' cries grew louder and more triumphant. Reinforcements from the Horde. The black haired man's brows furrowed briefly. Even though he'd sold out his kingdom for freedom the Horde crest was still an unwelcome sight. So much depended on the next few minutes. His eyes searched the crowd until they found a woman with a shaven head and wide amber eyes. His heart clenched when she grinned at him, bright and furious like life itself. He nodded at her and she shoved her way through the crowd to the middle of the square where he was standing. The airships were now hovering in position above the square and ropes started getting tossed down. Deep guttual voices were yelling above. The man saw the blue-clad guards stream onto the square from all parts of the city, but their efforts would be futile. It gave him a sense of satisfaction as he held no love for the city dwellers. They had never known hunger or despair, willfully ignorant of the source of their wealth. 

"We'll get him," the woman yelled as she pushed through the last two men. "Earen, we'll get him!"

"He can't hide forever," Earen had to shout to be heard and pulled her to his side. "The future starts today!"

Horde soldiers began to descend upon the square and his muscles tensed. Far be it from him to trust an Orc. The green skinned brutes began to engage the guards and mostly ignored the miners. It had to be good enough. There was no going back now. His wife twisted in his arms to stare at the brutes.

"They're keeping their word." She sounded rightly astonished. 

"For now," Earen replied grimly. 

The cathedral doors flung open with a deafening crash. King Llane Wrynn himself appeared. The aging monarch looked furious as he beheld the mob. Two dozen heavily armed Kingsguard surrounded him.

"You motherless mongrels! How dare you! I will see you all burn!" He thundered. 

The crowd went wild at his words and started fighting in earnest. Earen caught glances of the Queen and her son behind him and felt conflicted for the barest of moments. A squeeze on his left arm made him look down at his beloved. Her face was serious, her eyes dark.

"No mercy," she intoned, "Remember who we're dealing with!"

Earen clenched his jaw and nodded grimly. King Llane Wrynn, the man who had enslaved the Dwarves and their Gnomish cousins, who put any dissenters into the Deadmines for life. A cruel tyrant who had enslaved half of the Eastern Kingdoms. Patriach of House Wrynn, who claimed to be descendants of the Black Dragonflight just to scare their people into obedience. Earen thought of his young daughter, crying from hunger in their rotten little house. 

"For Leannah," he growled, "For the future!"

His wife nodded grimly and clutched her hatchet. To think it had been used to slice their last piece of bread that morning only fueled his anger. More and more Orcs descended from the ships. Soon it became clear that the guards wouldn't win. Most of the troops had been deployed to the frontier in the North so that only a couple dozen men remained in the city. The King hadn't expected his slaves to revolt and that would be his last mistake, Earen thought and charged. He let out an angry cry when the King didn't engage, but withdrew into the Cathedral with his guards. They barred the doors while the guards kept the mob back. As soon as the last city guard fell, the Horde soldiers began to assault the heavy wooden doors. It was solid oak, strenghtened by mithril hinges, but their combined might made the gates rattle. Earen himself started picking away at the hinges. He'd mined Mithril for some time and knew the force and pressure needed to break through.  
Eventually a handful of hulking Tauren soldiers began to ram the gates with their massive shoulders. Dust rained down on him when he finally went through the last hinge. Both of the wooden wings groaned in defeat and crashed on the final assault. Miners and Horde soldiers streamed into the holy halls. Fine blue carpets got trampled, paintings were ripped from the walls and quite a few braziers overthrown. The cavernous main chamber was a sea of blue and glinting steel. King Llane was barely visible in the back. Earen swallowed and glanced around. His Horde contact had mentioned a special gift that was guaranteed to end the King in exchange for the city. He didn't care for Stormwind. It was a city build on the backs of slaves. No, he wanted a better future for his daughter. If he had to die to gain it, so be it. With that in mind he hefted his trusty pickaxe. 

"Charge!" He heard Llane yell.

"Attack!" Earen yelled and the forces clashed. 

It pained him to see so many good men and women fall, but they had to win, they had to-

"Father!"

Earen looked up when he heard the shrill voice of a young boy from the back of the room. Something had happened. The king laid unmoving on the steps before the stone altar. His son Varian knelt by his side with teary blue eyes. Earen frowned and parried a sword. A trail of red blood trickled down the stone steps, flowing from a large chest wound. The Queen put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. The boy lowered his head and suddenly it felt like the pressure in the Cathedral dropped. All fighting slowly ground to a halt. Heads turned in confusion. A chill ran down Earen's spine. The boy's shoulders shook and the air around him began to shimmer red. They watched in awe as a red aura condensed around the young prince. It felt like the air left the room entirely. Cold sweat broke out on Earen's neck. A picture of his baby girl, lying in her crib in their run down house flashed before his mind's eye. The red aura now looked almost tangible as it formed a set of huge wings on the boy's back. When he looked up, his eyes were completely crimson and burning like coals. 

"No... It can't be!!!" Earen saw his wife take a step back. "It's just a legend..."

Suddenly Earen remembered the stories. House Wrynn supposedly had Black Dragons in their ancestral line. "The Blood of the Dragon" was said to come to their aid in times of war. No one knew what it was supposed to entail, but it must have struck terror in the hearts of their enemies in the past, just as it did now. It was surreal as dragons were only a legend. Nobody had seen one in ages upon ages. The boy picked up his father's ceremonial sword. It was longer than him. The wings on his back looked tangible now, red and black like molten lava. When he opened his mouth impossibly wide, a ball of deep red energy formed in front of it. 

"You... Will... All.. BURN!" 

There was a single beat of silence before the energy exploded. Earen met his wife's eyes for the last time before everything went red, then black. The sheer heat of the ensuing explosion incinerated everybody within the cathedral on the spot. The building itself couldn't withstand such force and pressure so it crumbled in an enormous cloud of dust. Gleaming blue shingles and entire blocks of stone got hurled into the unsupecting crowd outside. Stormwind's citizens watched in horror as the building fell. People slowly came to watch, stepping over the corpses of the fallen. The Cathedral square had been devastated. Countless bodies littered streets that ran red with blood. It took several minutes for the dust to settle. 

"There!"

Heads turned at the cry of a young girl's voice. Something moved in the rubble. Under the awed gazes of the people Prince Varian Wrynn rose out of the ruin miraculously unharmed. His eyes were still an angry red, but the whites were visible again. There was a vicious snarl on his face as the boy stared down the crowd. 

"Witness me!" He yelled and thrust his sword at the sky. "I am the Son of the Dragon! Fire courses through my veins! Bend your knees or perish!"

Silence followed his words. One by one the citizens of Stormwind, noble and commoner alike, sunk down on their knees and bowed their heads. What they had just seen and witnessed was impossible to deny; this boy was living proof that the legends were true. Varian surveyed them grimly before his gaze swept out over the ruined square. The Horde airships still hovered above; clearly they had witnessed the happenings. His crimson gaze narrowed. 

"None shall live who oppose me." He growled, "Archers, bring them down!"

A nearby soldier turn to look at the few city guards still remaining. They lifted their crossbows and aimed them at the vulnerable vellums. Varian made a sweeping gesture with his hands and their bolts erupted in fire. Several men flinched, but didn't falter. The bolts sang through the air and hit their marks. The fire spread quickly and the ships rapidly lost velocity. One of them crashed into the lake behind the cathedral, the other hit the Dwarven Quarter and exploded. Varian watched unmoved as the third crashed into the screaming crowd before it exploded as well. The shockwave of hot air and fire boiled the guards alive in their heavy plate armor, but the boy remained untouched. It blew past him without singing so much as a single hair. 

"The dawn of a new era is upon us. I understand my purpose now." He announced coldly as the smell of burning flesh wafted over the city. 

A hastily gathered group of six nobles from the most influential houses of Stormwind approached him cautiously. 

"Milord, if I may-"

"No," Varian said and turned to leave.

"It would be unwise to ignore us, young king," a red haired man sneered. "Would you rule this kingdom alone? A child?"

Varian paused and slowly looked over his shoulder. The red haired man swallowed. Suddenly there was no doubt that the boy could do whatever he pleased. As the noble realized that, the kid twisted around and stabbed him right through the heart. 

"You worms should be grateful for your lives," he growled as he yanked the blade out of the noble's ribcage. "Things will soon be very different."

The King kept his word. By the time he turned eighteen Varian had decimated the noble houses, conquered the Eastern Kingdoms and led several successful assaults against the Horde on Kalimdor. They had been pushed back into the wild south while the Night Elves saw Mount Hyjal burn before they were willing to surrender to what was now the Human Empire. The imperial armies marched under the Wrynn banner now. King Varian had personally designed the stylized red dragon head on black ground. The enslaved dwarven clans toiled day and night in the mines of Blackrock Mountain to unearth more Dark Iron, which the Gnomes fashioned into large golems to fuel the imperial war machine. The Night Elves were locked up in the ruins of their World Tree and forced to grow crops for the troops. 

On his nineteenth birthday Varian had managed to track down all the families of the five hundred miners and thrown them into the Deadmines, aptly named for the hostile conditions there. Among them was a thirteen year old girl named Leannah. The girl not only survived, she thrived in the harsh environment. It steeled her mind and forged her core into titanium.  
When the King relocated the Empire's capital into Blackrock Mountain he transformed the Ring of Law into a large arena pit. It was used to entertain the masses and punish prisoners at the same time.  
Three years later, word of Leannah's prowress as a warrior had spread. After most of the miner's families had perished, the Deadmines lost their purpose since copper was easier to find elsewhere. The survivors were all without exception young men and women. It was a sad dozen of half-starved, half-crazed young kids who were given the choice between training to become gladiators or to be excecuted on the spot. As Leannah had no intentions of dying any time soon, she choose to fight. After she'd been forced to kill the other eleven miner's children, her only remaining friends and family, she was chained up like an animal and taken to Blackrock Mountain.  
The young woman became a crowd favorite, because she neither relented nor lost. Her reputation continued to grow so it was no wonder that she was one of the top candidates for the King's Crucible, a brutal tournament even by arena stadards. 

"What?" She snapped. "Are you serious right now?"

Gugthok, a fat little goblin, grinned with a mouth full of gold teeth. He was the arena's announcer and a gifted showmaster tasked with organizing fights. He shifted the cigar stump in his mouth and nodded.

"Yeah, congrats kid. You get to fight twenty of the most skilled gladiators in arena history! What an honor, eh?"

"Signing up for the Crucible is voluntary. I didn't put my name on the list."

Gugthok shrugged. "It's been sent to the king for approval already. There's nothing you can do now."

Leannah narrowed her red eyes. The violence that constantly simmered beneath her skin began to bubble at his mean smile, but she hadn't come this far by force alone. She put on a well-worn fake smile.

"Oh well!"

Gugthok nodded, apparently satisfied. "Better sharpen up those twin blades. You got a month to get into shape. Light knows you need some fat on those ribs."

Leannah ground her teeth. That wasn't exactly easy with the flavorless sludge they had to eat. She reminded herself for the upteenth time that she was lucky they got to eat regularly at all. It had been different in the Deadmines. Years of starvation left her body thin and lanky. How exactly she was meant to put on muscles was beyond her. The girl left the goblin's lavish office and trudged through the narrow corridors until she made it to the fighter's sanctum. Several identical stone doors passed left and right until she found hers. As far as she knew, all cells looked the same. It wasn't like gladiators allowed others into their rooms. They kept to themselves as fraternization was not only forbidden, but dangerous. A friend was more difficult to fight than a nameless entity and the crowd didn't like to be reminded that gladiators were people, too. She sat down on her hard cot and plucked at the straw that poked through the rough linen sack they called a mattress. Her weapons laid on the small table ready and waiting. They had been given to her as a prize for winning fifteen fights in a row. The blades were made from dark grey steel and slightly curved. Two straps of red cloth were wrapped around the handles, the only kind of decoration that was allowed. Leannah sighed briefly and grabbed her polishing kit when there was a knock at her door. 

"Who's there?"

"Shu-Lee."

Leannah frowned and went to open her door. Shu-Lee was a stout night elf with long purple hair. Half of her right ear was missing and she wore an eyepatch over her left eye. She'd been at the arena longer than anyone and was somewhat of a local legend.

"Yeah?" 

Shu-Lee glanced around before she stepped closer with a serious look.

"Listen kid, I know you're going to fight in the Crucible. Let me help you."

Leannah considered her. "Why should I trust you?"

The question made the elf grin.

"I've seen all your opponents fight at least once. Besides, you don't know how to train efficently. You've got the talent, but none of the muscle you need to win this."

"Fine," Leannah opened her door and let the elf slip through before she closed it. "Spill."

The elf gave her a critical once over. "Worse than I thought. You ever done one hundred push ups in a row?"

"What? I.. no."

Leannah stared at her with increasing indignation. The elf crossed her arms and watched her. 

"Give me a break." Leannah said as she sat down on the table. "Why are you doing this, anyway?"

Shu-Lee smiled enigmatically. "You've got heart. Which means you're my best bet to get out of here."

Leannah cocked her head to the side. "Now that's interesting. How am I gonna get you out, long ear??"

The elf sighed in annoyance. "Don't know shite about the Crucible, do you?"

Leannah shrugged causally and patted her blades. "Not really. I never bothered since it's a death sentence usually."

"The tournament is held once each year on the King's birthday. Sixteen gladiators will battle each other at once. It'll be a big bloody brawl. There can only be one winner. That winner not only gets freedom, they get a wish. Money, equipment, anything within reason. Depends on the King's mood whether he'll grant that wish though, so you'll have to entertain him well."

"You want me to wish for your freedom," Leannah realized. 

"Excatly," Shu-Lee replied with a small smile. "In exchange, I'm going to teach you everything I know."

Leannah considered her offer and began to smile. "A worthy exchange, I believe."

"Oh trust me," Shu-Lee replied, "It is. I'm going to make a champion out of you."

They shook hands with matching sharp grins. Shu-Lee's grip was crushing, a not-so-subtle reminder of the bargain they struck. Crushing was also a good way to describe the Elf's training regimen. Shu-Lee was merciless when it came to discipline. Leannah suspected it was a Night Elf thing, since no Human or Dwarf she knew trained so brutally. The elf made her work out in between matches, sometimes even at night. Muscles hurt in places where she didn't know she had them, but Leannah kept her mouth shut. There was a quiet intensity to the elf that showed in the determined set of her lips and the small wrinkle between her eyes that rarely ever vanished anymore. One day, she realized it was hope that the elf was trying to hide. The realization sat heavily in her stomach. No one had put their faith in her before; it only added to the pressure building up inside her as the date of the Crucible approached. At night, she dreamed of endless battles with faceless foes. As much as she struggled, they just kept closing in on her. It soured her mood to the point where she rarely exchanged any words with Shu-Lee anymore. At least the elf seemed to understand her reasoning and kept her distance as Leannah worked. 

On the morning of the Crucible Leannah woke up in a foul mood. She had learned the hard way to hold on to it instead of the nerves that threatened to take over. She felt absent as she went through her morning routine and put on her armor. Dully she noticed that it sat strange in some places where she'd gained some weight. Her hand hovered over her twin blades. They had carried her through some tough battles. Leannah despised nostalgia so she grabbed them both and put them in their belt loops. For the first time in a month she bothered to look into a small cracked mirror. Her hair had grown longer again. Leannah had no particular fondness for the black tresses, but cutting it herself was tedious and always ended up looking weird, so she mostly just twisted it up into a knot. Dark red eyes were looking back at her. She examined her face for any signs of insecurity and adjusted her expression accordingly. For someone who regularly killed people she had little scars to show for it. There was just one, a small silvery thing that marred her pink lips. An ogre's mace had caught her upper lip right before she gutted it. She ran her tongue over the rough texture and gave herself a toothy grin. Her stomach jumped with nerves so eating breakfast was not an option. Slowly but surely a familiar itch filled her. It felt like she was too big for her skin, so she drew her blades and swung them about in the fluid swirling movements Shu-lee had taught her. Three sharp raps on her door meant that it was showtime. 

"Alright, I got a battle to win," she exhaled sharply.

Gugthok outdid himself with the decorations. Crude portraits of each gladiator had been hung on the walls all around the arena. The crowd was much bigger than usual and already radiating bloodlust. Ogre batterers stood watch over each block and kept an eye on the mixed crowd. On the king's birthday, the Dwarves were given a break to watch the spectacle along with the Human population. A few Gnomes had even left the seculsion of their workshop, which was a rare sight. Leannah stepped up to the nearest tunnel into the arena, but a bald man in a suit stopped her.

"That tunnel's taken. Get over to number 16." He grunted. "Y'all can't start butchering each other out of sight."

Leannah nodded sharply and went to tunnel number sixteen. Through the square gaps in the gate she could see the sandy grey floor and some of the other gates all around the circular arena. The crowd was up high, looking down on them from the safety of the high walls surrounding the arena pit. She smiled and put her hands on her blades. 

"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for! Give it up for our champions! Welcome the gladiatoooors!" 

Sixteen gates lifted at once and Leannah got her first good look at the competition. Shu-Lee wasn't among them, like they'd discussed. Instead there were seven men, four women, one massive ogre, three dwarves and one Gnome. They all looked ready for a fight. Every pair of eyes she met glinted with the same eager maliciousness. She took a deep breath and smelled the air. Sweat, people, bloodlust, fear and.. something else. Something rich and deep that made her think of deep red blood, silk and lava. Leannah blinked and looked around. None of the others struck her as anything special superficially. Gugthok tapped his diamond-tipped walking stick.

"Quiet! Quiet! Calm down please!" He yelled.

When the crowd started to calm he coughed and motioned at one of his goons. Two Dark Iron dwarves pulled on some chains hanging from the ceiling. With a groan a single box descended onto a free space slightly above the crowd. When it finally touched the floor it turned out that it was a special visitor box with three glass sides and a stone back wall. The visibly tired dwarves stumbled over and carefully lifted some latches to open the front side. One of them flipped a switch on a nearby control panel, which cast the box in the golden glow of a spotlight. A hush went through the crowd and it grew very quiet. Even the gladiators looked up.

"May I present to you our guest of honor, his majesty! Emperor Varian Wrynn, Son of the Dragon, Conqueror of the Eastern Kingdoms!!" Gugthok shouted respectfully. 

Leannah got her very first good look at the emperor. He was a mountain of a man with frighteningly broad shoulders. The black armor he wore glinted coldly in the light. His spaulders had been fashioned into the likeness of the imperial heraldic animals, wolf on the left and dragon on the right. His face was angular with a square jaw and a large chin that had a dip in the middle. Nothing about his face betrayed any emotion, apart from his crimson eyes that seemed to hold their own kind of glow. His face was framed by long black hair, which had been tied into a simple ponytail. Only a scar along his left cheek marred his stony face. The force of his presence made his companions pale. On his right stood a young man with dark hair and the same crimson eyes as the emperor, likely his son. On his left stood an elderly woman with crimson hair in flowing dark grey robes, whose eyes had been blindfolded. Leannah had no idea who she was and didn't particularly care. Her focus was on the emperor who surveyed the gladiators impassively. Her chest burned with hatred for the man who ruined her life. None of the stories she'd been told could have prepared her to face this monster.

"Now then, it is time to officialy begin the show!" Gugthok glanced at the emperor.

Varian Wrynn rose slowly from his seat and seemed to fill the whole box. When his burning eyes met Leannah's, she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time: unease. It felt like a spark fizzled between them. Leannah felt a shiver go down her back when his eyebrows twitched minutely. It passed in a second and his gaze moved on, but she couldn't quite shake the strange feeling it left. With a deep breath, she trained her eyes on her opponents again and tucked the feeling away for later.

"Let the battle begin!" The emperor's commanding tone thundered through the arena. 

A roar went through the crowd and the noise exploded back. Guthok grinned and his teeth gleamed in the light.

"Well there you have it, folks! Let the game begin!" He shouted and shot a flare gun that lit up the arena with a red flash. 

Leannah's mind shut down into survival mode. She caught sight of the nearest enemy and tensed. It was a dwarf with a masive broadaxe. Twin blades sang through the air as she dodged his swing and stabbed them into his chest. He grunted in pain and she slipped past him, delivering a final slash to the gap in his helmet. 

"One down," she whispered and focused on the rest of them.

Something prickled at the back of her neck and she ducked just in time before an arrow sang over her head. The gnome who'd fired it from a foldable crossbow drew two daggers and grinned. Leannah narrowed her eyes and waited. It couldn't take much longer, why wasn't it coming? The Gnome ran at her surprisingly quick. She barely managed to parry both blades and raised hers for attack when a searing pain went up her left leg. Leannah cursed when her fingers came away bloody. 

"Not so smug now, upshot!" The pink haired gnome cackled. "Your hamstring's next!"

Leannah ground her teeth. The sight of her own blood made something dark and ugly blossom inside her chest. Pain and anger fueled the unholy rage that had kept her going through the long nights in the Deadmines. Just thinking of that deep, dark place made her mind descend into a red haze. 

"Just gonna sneer, are ya? Well I'll just have to-"

"Die," she whispered.

The girl felt nothing as she exploded into movement. A shriek left the gnome's mouth when her sword severed his arm from his body. Before he could so much as move, she stabbed him right through the neck. Fire coursed through her veins and unlocked her muscles. Red sprays of blood shot through the air in her wake as she tore through the gladiators like a whirlwind of death and steel. Leannah heard nothing but her heartbeat and the thrum of blood in her veins.  
Five of the remaining warriors seemed to realize she was the biggest threat and ganged up on her. She went into a crouch, waiting for the attack as they circled her. A movement in the corner of her eyes was all she got for warning. Shu-Lee's training had sunk into her bones, enabling her to do a backflip that dodged the sword coming at her left flank. She cut off the wielder's hand and kicked him into the man next to him. 

"Ahhh why won't you die, bitch?!" A massive guy swung his morningstar at her. 

Leannah moved backwards as she dodged his vicious swings. Another man joined his advance with a spear. The third guy used his advantage and killed the two guys she'd toppled. Panting harshly she tried to think, but her muscles were screaming and not even her rage was enough to combat her body tiring. As if they could smell her weakening, the last two guys backed her into the wall. Leannah gripped her blades and held her head high. She'd been born a slave but she'd die a warrior. She ground her teeth and let out a hiss. This wasn't how she wanted to die, three kills away from freedom. Her eyes flicked up to the Emperor's box at the other end of the arena. There was a slight frown on his face that she decidedly hated. It was mild disappointment, the kind one would express when they lost something cheap and easily replaced. His crimson eyes met hers for the second time that day. A hot maelstrom ignited inside her. All tiredness and doubt was forgotten as this hidden fire revived her. Leannah closed her eyes for a second and felt nothing but power blazing through her veins. Unlike the one from before it was pure and serene. She stood up straight and opened her arms, pointing her blades downward. After another beat her eyes snapped open. Once they looked at her one of them dropped his weapon and stumbled back while the other flinched in shock. 

"Come on, rats. Give me a fight!" She yelled and took a step forward. 

The noise from the crowd picked up a notch. Empty cans and coins came flying into the ring. Several batterers shoved their way through the crowds to get to the clutterers. Leannah noticed none of this as she rotated her wrists. Seeing as none of the men were making a move, she did. The guy with the morningstar put up a fight, but it felt easy as breathing to gut him. A red spray hit her face and made her grin. The young man with the twin daggers got in a slash against her upper arm, but she slit his throat before he could do more damage. The last guy didn't even fight, he just watched with horrified eyes as she lifted her blade and slit his windpipe. Pandemonium erupted on the ranks. Leannah felt the fire recede to a simmer behind her sternum. 

"Order! I'm calling for order! Glubtok, get down there!" Gugthok clutched at his purple hat as he dodged empty beer cans. "It seems we have a winner!"

Leannah lowered her blades and looked around. Fifteen dead bodies were bleeding out around her. She felt nothing but amazement to still be standing. A stab of pain reminded her of her injured leg and she was pretty sure there was a nasty cut on her arm. Everything felt kind of numb. 

"Last woman standing is Leannah! Congratulations!" 

She nodded once and looked up at the harried looking goblin. He kept glancing over to the visitor's box so she did the same. For some reason the emperor didn't look pleased, he looked mildly confused. Both of his hands were gripping the skulls on the front of his throne's armrests and he was leaning forward as if to see her better. She glared at him head-on. 

"Silence," Gugthok screeched.

The crowd calmed after the batterers got out their massive cudgels and put some order on the most rowdy people. The goblin cleared his throat.

"This brave young woman has won the King's Crucible at the tender age of sixteen! That's a new record I'm sure. Let me tell you a bit about our new champion!"

The crowd cheered as Leannah looked around. What was there to tell? Blood was on her face, her clothes, her hands. Wasn't that enough of a story?

"This champion grew up in the fearful Deadmines in Westfall! Born a slave, she fought her way up into this very arena! The champion hasn't lost a single fight since she arrived here ..three years ago! Truly an amazing story, I'm sure!" 

Leannah's gaze snapped towards the emperor. Something akin to worry blossomed in her chest. The emperor's face had grown stony. Silence settled over the arena once more. Several people started to shift nervously in their seats. Gugthok suddenly looked worried.

"Deadmines trash, huh?" 

Leannah lifted her chin in defiance of the king's disgusted expression. He stood up slowly, crimson eyes boring into hers. 

"I'm surprised any of you rats are still alive. You've made it this far and that speaks for your skill. Very well. You've won the Crucible and are therefore a free woman."

Leannah wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but she knew this wasn't over yet. His eyes were too cruel.

"Know this, though. You are not welcome in my empire," he said coldly. "Make your wish and then leave. Next time you won't be so lucky."

She swallowed and thought. There was a bargain to be kept. On the other hand, she could wish for anything she wanted. Leannah sucked in a breath.

"I wish for the elf gladiator named Shu-Lee to be free as well." She declared loudly. 

The crowd started to murmur and whisper excitedly. One look at the emperor's face told her that he wouldn't grant her wish, she realized with a sinking feeling. 

"No." 

Leannah squared her shoulders. One part of her mind was screaming at her to leave it be, she was free, just go! But the other weaker part felt loyalty of all things for the elf. There was an idea so crazy and absurd it might just work. Leannah lifted her blade an pointed it at the emperor.

"Then I would challenge you for her freedom!" She called. 

Nobody expected that, least of all the emperor. His thick eyebrows rose and for the first time that day he looked somewhat intrigued. His son stepped up to him and whispered something with an urgent expression. The old woman took a step forward as well.

"No, Daval. A challenge has been issued." Leannah caught what she was saying and felt a cold shiver go down her spine. 

It just dawned on her what she'd done. Her heart plummeted to her stomach when the emperor unsheated his vicious black blade. Its enchanted edge shimmered crimson. He stepped out of the box and began to descend the stairs under the disbelieving stares of the crowd.

"W-well, that's quite a surprise..." Gugthok called and loosened his collar. "It seems this'll be a day to remember, friends! The emperor ..has taken the challenge!"

With each step the massive man took she felt freedom fade into the distance. It was replaced by the more immediate concern for her life. If her win streak was impressive, it was nothing against Wrynn's. No one had fought him and lived since he always went for the kill. The foolish goblin had revealed her as a miner's child, which pretty much sealed her fate. 

"Oh fuck," she whispered when he entered the arena grounds.

"Getting cold feet, trash?" He asked with a hint of sinister amusement.

Leannah swallowed and lifted her chin. "Never."

The emperor faced her and lifted his blade. Up close, it felt like the aura it emitted burned cold. Leannah faced him and tried to accept her imminent death, but didn't quite succeed. Freedom... that word alone was worth dying for. Wrynn must've seen something in her eyes, for he nodded once.

"Good. It's been too long since I've faced a real challenge."

"I'll try to satisfy your lordship," she muttered as she lifted her swords.

A second later, mortifying heat rose in her cheeks when she realized what she just said. The emperor's eyes narrowed and a hint of a smirk ghosted over his lips while he gave her a slow once over. 

"I doubt that a skinny child like you could," he replied evenly.

Embarassment mixed with indignation. Gugthok called for order, which was sort of uneccessary since the crowd was already hushed.

"Alrighty then! The challenged party gets to decide when this is over!" 

Leannah stared at the fearsome man in front of her. She wasn't prepared to die just yet and she wasn't accepting defeat. Not after he insulted her like that, not after everything he did. Her tongue shot out to lick at the scar on her upper lip. It was an unconscious habit, but it made his eyes flicker down for a second. Leannah watched the sharp angles of his face and wondered at the mix of fear and excitement bubbling in her gut. 

"We fight to disarmament."

Whispers broke out as the crowd dared to cheer again. Gugthok looked like he was about to faint.

"That's.. that's certainly.." A glare from the king made him change tracks immediately. "Lines have been drawn! Prepare yourselves for the battle of the year! Leannah, champion of the Crucible, against Emperor Varian Wrynn!"

Leannah hefted her swords, put her left foot back and put her weight on it. No time to dwell on the mind-blowing novelty of a match that wasn't going to end with her dead, hopefully. The emperor adjusted his grip on his massive blade with an unreadable look that worried her. 

"Let the match begin!"

As soon as the words left Gugthok's mouth she charged. Much to her dismay Wrynn parried every strike with ease, no matter how fast she was. The one time she managed to hit his armor it felt like her arm was still vibrating afterwards. No more than a small scratch marred the black metal. She gasped at the pain that shot up her arm in recoil and jumped back to evade a strike of his own. Wrynn was as fast as her, if not faster. Watching his narrowed eyes and impassive face, she got the impression he was merely toying with her. Rage bubbled in her gut as the world beyond the arena fell away. She desperately tried to get back into the tranquil zone from before, but it was impossible. The shock in her nerves made her left arm pretty much useless. It was agonising enough to merely hold onto her blade. A cruel smirk was on his face when he rushed at her. To him this had to be like a fox hunt. Leannah ground her teeth and raised her sword to parry. The strenght behind his strikes was brutal and she barely managed to hold up. Her feet left trails in the sand as she was being pushed back with each parried strike. Leannah ground her teeth when a small crack appeared in her blade. Wrynn's smile was terrifying, eyes glowing red. He's enjoying this, she realized grimly. 

Time seemed to reverse itself and she felt eight again. The darkness of the Deadmines closed in around her. She remembered being the smallest, weakest kid. Picking away at solid rock day and night with a small pick as long as her hand. Johnny Wilkins always stealing her share of dry bread when she didn't eat it immediately. One day sitting in the shadows after a beating, clutching her pick in a shaking fist and waiting. Johnny Wilkins bragging how he broke another kid's nose for fun. Waiting until he was alone, deep in one of the small kids' tunnels. Jumping on his back, getting kicked into the wall. Never once letting go of the pick, no matter how much she got kicked. Feeling that ugly rage inside her for the first time. Blood in her mouth, then on her face after she stabbed the pick through his kneecaps. His anguished cries. Ignoring his calls for help as she left him lying on the ground, ecstatically eating his share of bread with bloody hands. 

Leannah snapped back into the here and now. Emperor Wrynn was one of those kids, the ones who delighted in mindless violence. Even though her muscles screamed she lifted her left blade and slashed at him, which gave enough pause to his assault for her to stumble back panting harshly. Strands of ebon hair stuck to her sweaty face. By contrast the emperor barely broke a sweat. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When she opened them, he was eyeing her critically. Measuring. 

"Not going to surrender?" He raised a brow. "You haven't learned your lesson yet, it seems."

Leannah huffed and spat on the sandy ground. "Stop holding back. I'm getting bored!"

It was worth it just to see his surprised expression. Feeling slightly unhinged, she grinned broadly and lowered her chin in defiance. There was a tick on his forehead where a vein started to pulse. Good, she thought viciously. 

"Insolent fool! If you insist on perishing at my hand, so be it!" He growled. 

Leannah smiled. It all narrrowed down to the telltale shift in his stance, the foot she saw draw back in slow motion, the blade tip that lowered ever so tellingly. The swords in her hands felt heavier than usual. For some reason the only smell in her nose was the dry dust of the arena floor. Serenity came over her, a clarity of purpose that she lacked before. Suddenly she saw the moves she had to make. It was all very simple in the end. Leannah moved at the same time he did. When the tip of his ebon blade came dangerously close to her torso, she jumped up with all her might. Time seemed to slow down again when her body lifted off the ground. Crimson eyes widened in surprise when she flew right over his head. She drew her legs in to neatly sommersault over him when his hand shot up faster than she could have anticipated. It was huge and warm when it hit her stomach. Before she could react, he pushed down. All the air left her lungs when she got slammed down on the ground. Stars burst before her eyes and her vision whitened out for several moments before she came aware of the burning in her lungs and the throbbing in her skull. While she desperately tried to suck in some much needed air the emperor's angry face appeared in her vision. One of his large hands grabbed her wrists and hauled her up. Leannah tasted iron when he slammed her up against the arena wall. Up close she could see all his faint scars and the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Leannah sniffed and smelled death and fury on him.

"Did you honestly think you stood a chance? Against me?" He growled and shook her roughly until all her bones seemed to rattle. 

Something very dark and dangerous burned in the depths of his eyes. When she didn't reply his mouth drew into a sneer that looked all wrong, like he'd expected some kind of resistance. Leannah's head lolled forward, but she refused to break eye contact. Somewhere beyond the numb wall in her brain she realized that submitting was not a good idea right then.

"Go on, beg. If you beg like a good little dog I might just spare your life." He snarled and tightened his crushing grip until she felt the bones in her wrists grind together.

Noise rushed back and she heard the howls and hoots of the crowd. Leannah's lips trembled as she slowly lowered her head. The emperor's disappointed huff hit the top of her head. 

"Go on, be- AGH!" His shout of surprise and pain startled the crowd into abrupt silence. 

The girl panted harshly while fighting the spots dancing in her vision after she'd snapped her head up and headbutted him. He touched his bruised forehead with his free hand and stared incredulously at the red on his glove. 

"I will NEVER bow to anyone, least of all YOU!" She screamed in his face, "You'll NEVER break me, no matter how hard you try! So if you're going to kill me, just do it already!"

One could've heard a pin drop in the grand arena. Emperor Varian Wrynn stared her with a mix of shock and awe. Darkness was closing in at the edges of her vision as she kept glaring at him. Somehow, she had changed direction. Leannah saw the crowd shift strangely before she passed out cold. 

 

Headache. Twenty or so dwarves hammered away at her brain when Leannah's minde rose from the depths of slumber. She let out a low groan and lifted a hand to her forehead. At her movement, a woolen blanket slid off her chest. 

"You awake?" A low, rough voice asked.

Leannah blinked and opened her eyes. It was dim in the room, but she still recognized it as her cell. The only source of light was an old oil lamp on her table, which cast the other person's features in shadow. All she could make out were the crossed arms and the ear. 

"Long ear!" She muttered and pushed herself up in a sitting position. 

The elf took two steps towards her bed. Up close, she could see the trembling eyebrows and thin lipped fury on the elf's face. Before she could react, the elf's hand shot out and smacked her in the face.

"Are you stupid?" Shu-Lee demanded harshly. "Do you even realize how impossibly lucky you are to be still alive after the shite you pulled?"

Leannah touched her tender cheek with a frown. "I tried... Look, I wanted to save you."

The elf nodded briskly and took a quick step back. "Oh great," she hissed. "So your plan was to challenge the emperor! The EMPEROR! That was your stupid-ass plan?"

"We made a deal and I owed you." Leannah retorted. 

Shu-Lee shook her head, but some of her rage seemed to dissipate at least. "Fucking fool. You risked your freedom for mine. I'll never get rid of that debt, will I."

"No, Shu, what are you on about?" Leannah frowned and coughed. "Water, please."

The elf obliged and pushed a cup of water into her hands. Once she finished drinking, she eyed the elf.

"How'd it go? I mean.."

"You're free to go." Shu-Lee cut in. 

"Seriously?" Leannah boggled at her words. "I lost, didn't I?"

"Who knows what goes on in that man's head." The elf shook her head with an incredulous expression. "You did a number on him. Mentally, too, I guess."

"He's letting me go? Just like that?"

"Yeah. Congrats, kid."

The young woman searched her friend's face carefully. Shu-Lee was a master at concealing her emotions. From her reception, she guessed the elf had worried about her. It was sort of heartwarming, but she tried not to dwell on it. 

"Got any travel tips? I'm a persona non grata now in the empire." Leannah smiled grimly.

Shu-Lee shrugged. "There's a lot to see out there. Southern Kalimdor is the last place not under the heel of the empire. I'd head there if I was you. All you gotta look out for are the trolls. Vicious bastards. Don't ever trust 'em."

"No trolls, got it," Leannah quipped as she stood up. "Ah fuck me. My head.."

Shu-Lee stepped aside, into the shadows by her door. One silver eye glowed dimly in the shadows. 

"There's a backpack full of supplies, courtesy of Gugthok. He said you're free to go whenever."

Leannah found the backpack and put it on. The strange tone of the elf's voice made her uneasy. She wasn't good at goodbyes. Leannah looked around when she found something missing.

"Where are my blades?"

"They broke."

"Am I meant to travel defenseless?" Leannah demanded incredulously.

A snicker answered her. "You did humiliate the emperor. He broke them when he left the arena. I think he did it out of spite."

Leannah rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Gotta tough it out, kid. Azeroth is your oyster. That is, if you make it out of Blackrock without running into a guard."

Leannah let out a string of unladylike curses and took a step towards Shu-Lee. In the end, she stuck out her hand with a defiant look. After a moment's hesitation, the elf grasped and shook it.

"I'm in your debt, Leannah. What you did for me went above and beyond the deal we made. I am.. forever grateful." Shu-Lee's voice was grave. "You have heart. Take care that you never lose it."

Leannah gave her a lopsided smile. "Take care of yourself, Shu. Some day I'll come back and get you out of here. So you gotta stay alive, alright?"

"I'll try," the elf replied dryly. 

Leannah nodded and released her hand. It was time to go. She grabbed the dark brown blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her as a cloak. She peered around for the guard on patrol duty and found the hallway empty. 

"Put him to sleep for a while, get you an easy start. It'll be hunting season once you're outta the arena, though." Shu-Lee said from behind her.

"Thanks, long-ear," Leannah smirked and waved over her shoulder before she stalked down the hallway.

The air was filled with a myriad of smells once she left the tunnel system of the arena. The sheer size of Blackrock Mountain' main cavern was overwhelming, so she didn't dwell on it and kept an eye out for guards. It was easy enough to dodge them. Construction was still in progress all over the large lava filled main cavern. On the emperor's orders, the mountain was to be turned into a proper city after the model of Ironforge. The sound of countless chisels echoed over the noise of the people. Ever since the humans of Stormwind relocated into the cavern system, the general populance had become a lot more placid when faced with acts of brutality. No one batted an eye at the corpses of starved beggars anymore. They had seen worse in the arena, after all. Faces were almost unanimously grim.  
Leannah kept to the shadows as she watched the crowds. There was a squad of six soldiers posted at the huge stone gates that led out into the Burning Steppes. The young woman let her eyes wander over the Molten Span, as the large rock suspended over a lava pit was called. Massive chains had held it in place for ages. One link was as tall and broad as a man. It was a feat of architecture unlike any other archieved by the Dark Iron dwarves. There weren't many of them left, maybe two or three hundred. The emperor had been merciless on his crusades. Leannah remebered hearing stories back in the Deadmines. As a young girl, she'd admired how a single fearless man could subdude an entire continent. Remebering how she used to imagine him, Leannah grimaced and shook her head. Silly girl's follies that had no place in the here and now. A deep horn blow reminded everyone that an hour had passed. Leannah perked up when the squad started moving. Time for the guard rotation, it seemed. There was a tiny window of opportunity and a high risk of discovery. She swallowed her fear and made her way towards the gates. The guards in their dark grey armors and black tabards kept their eyes straight ahead while they moved.  
Leannah ducked her head and pulled her makeshift hood down. She walked quickly, but not too quick. The next squad appeared in front of her as she was close to the exit. Likely they had just returned from patrol outside the gates. The young woman felt her heartbeat speed up and forced herself to remain relaxed. The metallic rattle of their heavy plate armors rattled her brain when they marched past. Once the noise receded through the tunnel, she dared to glance up. The squad took up positions, which was her signal to get through the winding tunnel that led out of the mountain. Another set of massive gates, and then she laid eyes on the ash-covered wastelands outside. It was a thouroughly grim scenery. Even the sky was dark, heavy with ash clouds.  
She could make out a small camp at the base of the mountain and decided to head there first. The large, railing-less bridge that led from the gates to the ground was just broad enough for six men to walk in a row. Rivers of lava ran beneath it, sending up gusts of hot air. It was hot and the girl started sweating beneath her blanket, but didn't dare to take it off yet. The camp at the base of the mountain looked to be a small trading post. It consisted of three tents, a campfire, one sour looking gryphon master, a robed Dark Iron dwarf and a half-naked human man. Leannah approachd them warily. The gryphon master didn't even bother to acknowledge her, he just kept throwing gibblets at his lone gryphon. 

"Welcome to Flamestar Post! I'm Mouton Flamestar, proprietor of this fine piece 'o land." The dark iron dwarf called and waved at her. "Have you come to pursue my wares?"

"Depends on what you offer," she replied as she walked over.

"Oh, this and that." The dwarf eyed her curiously. "You look like the adventuring sort. Maybe a new backpack?"

Leannah glanced at the human man. He had shoulder lenght brown hair and striking green eyes. His expression was grim and closed off. Several faded scars covered his bare chest. The dwarf noticed her looking and frowned. 

"Don't mind him. Johnny's just a friend 'o mine." 

Johnny looked up when his name was mentioned. There was a familiar steely determination in his eyes. At once she recognized him as someone who'd been fighting all his life, too. It made him easier to size up and more dangerous. If there was one thing she'd learned, it was that things could go to shit quickly. By the gleam in his eyes she could see him realize this, too. 

"Perhaps a new waterskin? Clean water is pretty rare to come by out here." Mouton sounded inceasingly nervous. 

Leannah inhaled and smelled treachery. Her hands twitched to her sides, but there was nothing. She cursed internally when she remebered that her weapons were gone. A muscle jumped in Johnny's jaw and suddenly there was a longbow aiming an arrow straight at her chest. 

"Now now, let's all calm down," Mouton called nervously as he raised his hands. "There's no reason for things ta get ugly."

"What do you want?" 

The dwarf's red eyes narrowed and glanced at the gryphon master, who turned his back towards them. Johnny came over, all the while aiming his bow at her. 

"Get in the tent," he growled.

Leannah obliged. Mouton followed behind them and closed the tent flap. There was a low table sourrounded by small chairs, clearly made for dwarves only. A sharp arrow tip prodded her flank until she sat down awkwardly. She glared up at Johnny, who remained standing while Mouton sat down opposite her. The dwarf's expression was apologetic. 

"I didn't mean to be so rude." He began and put his hands flat on the table. "But when I saw who you were, I had to act."

"So," Leannah leaned back and narrowed her eyes at him. "You know me."

The dwarf nodded. "Aye, word spreads quickly. You might be able to help us. See, Johnny and I are in somewhat of a pinch."

"This doesn't concern you." The human cut in flatly. "I'm just here to get supplies."

"Yes yes, but don't you see? She's the perfect replacement for.. Well.." Mouton trailed off when Johnny's face darkened. "You can't pull this off alone. Not with just Troteman backing you up."

Johnny's eyes snapped towards her. The name Troteman didn't ring any bells, but Johnny's alarmed look was telling enough. It had to be someone with influence. She wasn't entirely certain what was going on, but it couldn't be anything legal. She folded her hands and casually checked for any weapons nearby. The arrowhead pointed at her throat now. 

"That's the one the emperor pardoned? You sure?" Johhny asked flatly as he sized her up.

"Yea, old Gurdan's been there an' told me everything." Mouton nodded. "Said it was like watching a damn miracle."

Leannah made a face. "Yeah ok, I'm Leannah and I challenged the emperor to a fight. But I'm still not sure what you want from me. Every guard and their mother are looking for me. So."

Mouton spat on the ground with a disdainful expression. "Bah, guards. Useless out here, the lot of 'em. They're trained for city patrols. I hear them complain about the heat, the sand and the imps all the time when they wander up an' down that bridge."

Leannah snorted, while Johnny just kept glaring. The dwarf pinched the bridge of his nose and ran a hand through his greying beard. 

"For Thaurissan's sake, Johnny."

The man glared at her, but his bow lowered slowly. Leannah batted her eyelashes at him and raised her open palms. Johnny grunted and sat down.

"Here's the deal. The emperor's hold on this place isn't as tight as it used to be." Johnny's eyes narrowed. "His troops are spread out all over the continent. Here in the Steppes, all we got for protection are a couple dozen guards. They don't even patrol regularly anymore. The old enemies of humankind didn't stop existing just because the emperor moved into the neighbourhood."

"Tell her about Redridge." Mouton prompted.

Johnny's eyes seemed to drill into hers. He folded his hands on his lap and squeezed them. There was a story she wasn't sure she wanted to know about. 

"Shortly after Stormwind got abandoned, Redridge was invaded by an army of gnolls, murlocs and some stray orcs. My hometown was massacred. My crew and I tried to stop them, but there were just too many. We repelled them from Lakeshire at least, but it cost us. My friends died in battle with their general. Now they're still disorganized and split up, but that could change at any time."

"Listen, I'm the last person who could help you." Leannah frowned and leaned towards him. "I don't even have a weapon."

"I know," Johnny growled and glared at Flamestar. 

"No problem, I'll supply you." A calculating look had entered the dwarf's eyes. "You just gotta help Johnny out. He's trying to stop the ogres from joining forces with the gnolls and overunning Redridge at last."

"Are you deaf?" Leannah asked slowly, feeling anger rise inside her. "Staying here would be suicide and I don't plan on dying."

"Shame. A whole network of well-connected Dark Iron dwarves could be indebted to you. Well, good luck gettin' outta here with nothin' but the clothes on yer back. I'm sure there's a pike somewhere, ready an' waiting for yer head."

Leannah slammed her hand down on the table and growled at the dwarf. Flamestar jumped and Johnny pointed his bow at her again. 

"Why the hell do you even care?" She demanded, "What's in this for you, huh?"

"Believe it or not, a Dark Iron Dwarf can have decency and morals," Flamestar frowned. "Not everyone's been corrupted by the dragon."

The girl blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Flamestar made a face and patted Johnny's muscular arm. "Easy there. Put that thing down." 

Johnny growled and stood up abruptly. "I'm gonna keep watch. Yell if you need me."

Once he'd left the tent, Leannah leaned back on the tiny chair and stretched out her legs. "Jumpy guy."

"Considering what he's been through, it's no wonder," the dwarf sighed. "Listen, I get it. You don't want to help, you don't even want to stay on this continent. That's fine, but consider the consequences. If Redridge gets invaded while most of the imperial troops are busy elsewhere, the kingdom will suffer. More importantly, innocent people will suffer. The emperor doesn't care. He's a tyrant and a brute. Some even say he's insane."

Leannah chuckled when she remebered the mindless rage in his eyes. Flamestar stared at her disapprovingly until she quieted down. 

"Can you really be so selfish?" He asked quietly. "Did you not care when people died next to you, in the Deadmines?"

Leannah flinched. Memories of darkness and despair flashed through her mind. It made her hands itch for a sword. The haunting memory of helplessness made her core feel vulnerable. Flamestar nodded. 

"You know what hoplessness feels like, don't you?"

"Shut up," she growled and massaged her temples, where a headache was building up. 

"That's how the people of Redridge felt when the gnolls massacred them, while the emperor was busy waging war on Lordaeron."

"Alright fine," she burst out. "I'll help you, just shut up already."

"Good, then that's settled." Flamestar clapped his hands and stood up. "D'you want some water? You're looking a little pale."

Leannah ground her teeth and nodded. The dwarf handed her a full water skin before he started rummaging through a large crate. The fresh water soothed the ache at the back of her throat, even though it was lukewarm. She greedily drained it and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Flamestar straightened up with a groan and dusted off his robe. 

"This'll have to do," he grunted and put two heavy shortswords down on the table. 

Leannah eyed them critically before she weighed them. "Steel? No amalgation?"

"Right you are. That's the best you'll get out here." Flamestar smiled grimly. 

The girl sighed and strapped them to her back. Her mood was already ruined. "What's the plan, then? I can't be seen by any guards."

"Don't worry, they only raid this place once a week. Patrols don't even go out further east anymore."

"Comforting," she growled.

"Go talk to Johnny. I think you'll get along once he starts trusting you." A small gleam was in the dwarf's crimson eyes as he spoke.

Leannah took a deep breath once she left the tent. It smelled of ash and brimstone, mixed with smoke from the campfire. Johnny sat on a log, staring at the flames with a moody expression. Leannah slowly walked up to him and sat down on the log opposite his. 

"So, what's the plan, big guy?"

The man looked up with distrust and annoyance in his green eyes. He would be handsome if he didn't constantly scowl. Sweat gleamed on his hairy chest. Leannah caught herself staring and quickly looked out at the grey mountains.

"The plan," he pronounced, "Is to get some worg hides and mud. And scorpid stingers, while you're at it."

"Seriously?"

"Mouton may have talked you into helping me, but that doesn't mean I suddenly trust you." He stared at her hard. "You have red eyes."

Leannah rolled said eyes at his dramatic tone and sighed. "Whatever. I'll be back soon."

Without another glance she stood up and pulled her hood over her head. The camp was only fortified by some sharpened sticks surrounding it like a fence. It was a miracle it hadn't been sacked by the gigantic ember worgs lurking nearby. The girl had fought some nasty creatures in her time, but none were as tricky as the worgen. Sharp fangs and claws, plus an innate agility could make for some difficult targets. There was a scar on her left thigh where a rabid worg had once bit her. It still itched sometimes. 

"Tch, damn prejudices." She muttered under her breath and drew her blades. 

Red eyes on humans were said to be an ill omen. After the emperor's dragon blood awoke they saying had been officially labeled as superstitious nonsense. Leannah narrowed her focus on the pack of worgen nearby. People had met her with suspicion as long as she could remember. So she had embraced her red eyes and gave them good reason to fear her. Perhaps it was the same for the emperor. Leannah crept towards the nearest wolf. It heard her approach and let out a howl. 

"Playing hard to get, huh?" A grin split her lips as she charged.

The blades were duller than her last, but they cut through tendons and meat well enough. Blood spurted in the air when the wolf fell. Several others had heard its call and came closer. Six growling worgen spread around her with mean yellow eyes. Leannah grinned ferociously. Her red eyes flashed dangerously. It gave the wolves pause. Her grip tightened and she charged. 

Half an hour later she returned to Flamestar Post with a mount of fresh hides and pockets full of obsidian mud. Johnny rose from his log when he saw her stumble through the dust. Just before she could drop the hides, he grabbed some off off her and hung them over a pole. 

"Where do I dump this?" She asked and showed him her pockets.

"Put it in this sack there." He pointed over to a nearby table. "That was fast. Good job."

Leannah nodded and looked up at him. "Red eyes got the job done."

"I'm sure it was more than that," he replied dryly. 

"It's getting dark," she said with a glance at the sky. "I'll get the stingers tomorrow."

Johnny shook his head. "No delays. Not with what's at stake."

"Grab a torch and light the way while I work, then." She glared at him. 

"Scared of the darkness?" Johnny asked.

Leannah's eyes narrowed. He didn't look at all judgemental. Once again she found him utterly mystifying. The girl grabbed a nearby torch without another word and lit it on the campfire. She glanced at him over her shoulder. Johnny's face was blank when he sat back down. It was hard to tell how old he was. Leannah guessed he had to be at least twenty if he'd witnessed the war on Lordaeron. It was clear he'd seen a lot of shit, but so had she. Leannah shook her head and went scorpid hunting. Those buggers were even more vicious than worgen, but also slower. It was tricky to avoid being stabbed by their venomous stingers, but once she knew the drill it became easier. She kept the torch close by and stuck it in the ground near every scorpid she fought. Johnny didn't need to know her weaknesses. The brown haired man raised a brow when she returned to camp with five large stingers in tow. 

"Those are good," he nodded in wary approval. 

"Will you tell me now why I did all this?"

"Not yet. There is still more."

"What, really?" She slumped down on a log. "Can it not wait until tomorrow?"

A muscle jumped in his jaw, but seeing as it was already pitch dark, he relented. 

"We rise at dawn," he grunted and poked the fire with a stick. 

Leannah watched the flames dance and glanced at him occasionally. She felt tired, but not tired enough yet. With a small yawn she tugged at a stray blade of scraggly grey grass and tossed it at the fire. 

"Is Johnny actually your full name?" She asked. 

Johnny's eyes snapped towards her as if he'd been somewhere else mentally. "Why?"

"Just makin' conversation."

"It's a nickname," he replied slowly. "Full name's John J. Keeshan."

Leannah nodded. John prodded the fire again before he looked at her. "What's yours?"

"Leannah."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

John nodded. The girl felt her respect for him increase when he didn't prod. 

"S'pose it's pointless to ask how long this private war of yours is going to take."

John shrugged with one shoulder and procured a flask from one of the many pockets of his pants. He took a sip and held it out to her. The girl hesitated only a second before she accepted it. It carried a strong scent of alcohol and something sweet. It burned on her tongue so she swallowed it quickly. Whatever it was, it left a hot trail down her throat. John's mouth quirked when she made a face.

"What is that?" She asked as she handed the flask back to him.

"Lakeshire Special," he replied. "Barkeep used to distill it himself. Don't ask me what's in there."

The girl felt her stomach warm. "You really miss your home that much?"

"'Course I do. Lakeshire used to be the most beautiful town right after Stormwind." John gave her a quizzical look. "You don't?"

Leannah felt a stab of dread and shrugged with a crooked grin. "You can't miss what you never had."

"True enough."

The girl sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees. "I grew up in the Deadmines, alright? No place for fond memories. When I got out of there, they shipped me straight to the arena. So no, I don't know what it's like to feel loyalty for a place. Guess that makes me a bad member of your little band."

John shook his head. "I don't give a damn where you're from, all that matters to me is that you're in this for good."

Their eyes met over the fire. Slowly, the girl began to smile. It felt like they had finally reached an understanding. Leannah massaged her aching thigh and let her eyes wander up to the looming gates of Blackrock Mountain. Massive braziers cast the two faces carved into the mountain wall at either side of the gates in strange shadows. The guard's armors looked black as coal. When she thought about what lurked in the city, her mind flashed the image of two burning red eyes in a handsome face before her. For the first time, she thought about how lucky she was. There was no doubt that the emperor had merely toyed with her. She looked at John with a curious expression.

"How old were you when Emperor Wrynn rose to power?"

John furrowed his brows. "Eight. A travelling merchant told us the grand Cathedral had been destroyed. Claimed he saw the dust cloud from Three Corners, it was so big. I think it's a load of crock. No child could've done that."

Leannah leaned forward. "Really? The official story says the Emperor did it when his Dragon Blood awoke."

A hoarse laugh came from the older man. "Kid, the empire is built on lies. There's a lot of stuff we don't understand out there, but no man's power is unlimited." John's eyes flashed when she shrugged. "He doesn't show his face outside very often. You saw him though, what did you think? Anything 'superhuman' about him?"

She considered it. Her memories were kind of fuzzy, though what she clearly remembered was his inhuman strenght and the well of rage in his eyes. As for his supposed draconic blood.. 

"Didn't fight him long enough to judge," she shrugged noncomitically. 

John nodded, apparently satisfied. For some reason she felt like arguing further. While she hadn't seen his legendary power, she'd definitely felt it. Smelled it permeating the very air. It was doubtful he'd believe her, though. Leannah stood up abruptly and yawned.

"I'm gonna call it a night." She announced.

John just waved and resumed his staring at the fire. Leannah shrugged and turned towards the smaller spare tent. Her eyes flicked back up to the four guards at the gates. They stood perfectly still. Leannah crawled into the tent, which was clearly being used for storage, and cleared a small space to lay down in. The ground was hard so she stuffed her blanket under her head. Even at night it was warm in the Steppes, so covers were uneeded. Her dark grey chain armor preserved more than enough heat. She'd decided not to sleep out of armor until she was well beyond the empire's reach. Her thoughts drifted towards the Crucible again. It was hard to believe everything had happened merely a day ago. Deep seated paranoia flickered to live and for the upteenth time she wondered if she'd made the right decision. What if the guards came down? What if somebody recognized her? Shu-Lee hadn't said anything about a bounty, but that might yet change. The emperor wasn't known for being forgiving. With such uneasy thoughts floating about her head, the girl drifted off to sleep. 

"Hey. Wake up."

Leannah woke with a start when a hand shook her shoulder. Her eyes blinked open to find John staring down at her. For once he didn't look grim, but rather annoyed. There was a screech outside, shortly followed by choking noises and a belch. 

"Wha's goin' on?" She mumbled and scratched her head.

"The gryphon's sick. Been throwing up all morning." John sighed. "C'mon, get to your feet. We have work to do."

Leannah nodded and stood up. Her back tinged in pain, but it was tolerable. A yawn worked its way up her throat and she stretched before she noticed John staring at her. The girl raised an eyebrow in question, but the older man merely shook his head and went back outside. 

"For Light's sake, get that thing a bucket!" She heard Mouton yell.

To be continued....


End file.
